AJ Dybantsa will make his NBA debut for the Wizards in Cleveland after missing four games with a sprained left ankle

The wait is over for the No. 1 pick. The Washington Wizards upgraded AJ Dybantsa to available on Wednesday afternoon, and he will make his NBA debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Thursday in Cairo) after missing the first four games of the season with a sprained left ankle. Shams Charania was first to report the decision, and the team confirmed it minutes later.

No more waiting ⌛️ @AJ_Dybantsa pic.twitter.com/XCZ65MiPho

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) October 28, 2026

Dybantsa had been listed as questionable since Tuesday afternoon, when Washington upgraded him from out for the trip to Cleveland. He was on the floor at the end of the Wizards’ morning shootaround on Wednesday getting up three-pointers from the right wing, Josh Robbins reported, and the club cleared him a few hours later. Robbins also pointed out the date: Dybantsa debuts exactly 16 years to the day after John Wall played his first regular-season game for Washington, on Oct. 28, 2010.

Here's a look at the end of the Wizards' shootaround in Cleveland. AJ Dybantsa, who remains listed as questionable to play tonight, was on the court getting shots up (in this video, three-pointers from the right wing): pic.twitter.com/kja7iRZtFl

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) October 28, 2026

How long the wait was

Dybantsa sprained the ankle in the preseason finale in New Orleans on Oct. 16. He came down awkwardly after a midrange jumper and needed help to the locker room, finishing with 12 points. Brian Keefe called him day-to-day two days later but would not commit to the opener, and the Wizards then ruled him out against Milwaukee. He also sat out the loss in Toronto, the win in Chicago and Monday’s 110-103 loss in Charlotte. Before Monday’s game, Keefe said the rookie was “progressing in a very positive way” and would do more on-court work on Tuesday, and that work was enough to move him to questionable.

The former BYU star averaged 12.8 points in 21.5 minutes across four preseason games and shot 44.3 percent from the field. Washington has not said whether he will start or play on a minutes limit in his first game back from the sprain.

What it means for Washington

The Wizards are 2-2. Without Dybantsa, Bilal Coulibaly started on the wing in the opener, and Justin Champagnie and Khris Middleton picked up the extra minutes. Champagnie is out on Wednesday with a right foot injury, so Dybantsa steps into a thinner rotation next to Trae Young, Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis. Tristan Vukčević (left hip impingement) and Jamir Watkins (left ACL surgery) are also out.

Cleveland’s report lists only Nae’Qwan Tomlin (low back stress reaction) as an injury absence, plus two G League assignments. The Cavaliers are coming off an overtime win over Minnesota and their own rookie, Meleek Thomas, scored 16 in his debut in that game.

What comes next

Wizards at Cavaliers tips at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 28 (2 a.m. Thursday in Cairo): Game Center. The rest of Wednesday’s statuses are in Wednesday’s NBA injury report, and the injuries page tracks every team’s latest list.